Redeemer Lutheran School - School Environment and Facilities

Environment & Facilities

It's not just a building. Providing students with the space and resources to learn deserves a multi-faceted approach to teaching. From award-winning nature garden and playgrounds to a state-of-the-art computer lab, Redeemer is well-equipped to carry out its mission.

WORSHIP

Each day at Redeemer begins with prayer. On Wednesdays our school gathers for worship where we lift our voices in song and celebration of our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.

CELEBRATION

We have pep rallies to celebrate and motivate our athletic and academic teams for competition. We also annually celebrate National Lutheran Schools' Week with a variety of activities.

NATURE GARDENS

In order for children to care about the environment, they must experience nature. What better place than on the school playground? Redeemer is a 2009 Texas Environmental Excellence Award Finalist.

Our butterfly garden delights and educates our school, church and community, and serves as an outdoor classroom for all grades PreK through 8th. We are a certified Schoolyard Habitat, are involved in MonarchWatch, Junior Master Gardeners, and we supply the Austin Meals on Wheels with fresh herbs. Boy Scouts from troop 413 have achieved their Eagle Scout ranking by constructing our gardens with the labor and support of schoolchildren, parents, and church volunteers. Students enjoy fresh vegetables year-around, while preparing snacks and learning healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits. In our greenhouse we propagate native plants to give to other schools and community groups that desire to construct similar garden programs. We have been featured in local gardening shows, newspapers, and magazines. More...

In addition to its own nature garden, Redeemer is helping its neighbor, Wooten Park Nature Play Area. The project is funded by Austin City Limits Music Festival Grant Fund and Texas Action for Healthy Kids with many, many donations of time and service. Butterfly and wildlife habitat, trails, gardens and natural areas will join Wooten Park's playground area to provide outdoor classrooms for Wooten Elementary School.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

All of our classrooms are set up in Learning Centers. These centers allow children to work independently and with others. Children learn how to create, explore, follow directions, and care for materials. The centers are arranged in a variety of interest areas including literacy, dramatic play, blocks, puzzles and games, and sensory exploration. The toys, games, and educational materials in each center are changed on a regular basis and coordinated with the particular unit being studied.

Each classroom also provides learning opportunities in a large group setting. These activities include stories, music, movement, and discussions about the particular unit of study. These activities help students acquire the skills needed to work with others.

SCHOOL LIBRARY

The Redeemer School library is a vibrant center for all the students of Redeemer. From infants to eighth grade, students come to the library to check out books, gain library/research skills, hear stories, take Accelerated Reader quizzes, shop at our Accelerated Reader store, but most of all, gain a love for reading and learning!

The Redeemer library contains over 12,000 fiction and non-fiction titles. Second through eighth grade students have the opportunity to select Accelerated Reader books, which have comprehension quizzes on the computer. When students perform well on these quizzes, they are awarded points to use at the Accelerated Reader store.

The Redeemer library also serves as home to the Power Center, where struggling students are given additional help and instruction. This program helps to meet the needs of students with learning differences. For a yearly fee, students visit the Power Center for a range of modifications--oral testing, additional help, re-teaching, interventions, etc.

PLAYGROUND

We recognize the importance of play in the lives of children. We have three State-of-the-Art age-appropriate playgrounds, which offer challenging and creative play areas for our students. Our school has been the focus of the longest study of the importance of play and developmentally appropriate playgrounds in the United States: the University of Texas Play and Playground Research Project. Thirty-three Doctoral dissertations have been written based on research done on our playgrounds.

LUNCH PROGRAM

Redeemer is partnered with Patricia’s Lunchbox, a school lunch catering service dedicated to providing great-tasting, nutritious, freshly prepared meals using affordable locally grown food. Patricia’s staff is mostly comprised of food service industry professionals educated at culinary art institutions.

All food is prepared from scratch on site in Redeemer’s kitchen, with natural chicken, organic eggs, whole grains, Bandera or Coleman beef, and lots of fruits and vegetables – preferably organic and grown by local growers! Patricia has assign a specific group of her staff to be the “Redeemer” site staff. They are here each day to cook & serve the children and get to know them.

In 1975, Patricia opened Sweetish Hill Bakery in Austin, and in 2008, she left the Bakery to focus full-time on Patricia’s Lunchbox and quality lunches for children! She currently serves 6 schools.

Download Fall 2010 Menu